The Sound of Silence
by ReallyObsessiveWriter
Summary: Elphaba had always been a quiet girl. How does she react to the hustle and bustle of University life? Or, more importantly, how does she react to her new roommate, Galinda Upland? Rated T for minor language-cross between book and musical
1. End of the Past

"_There was no wail, no bark of newborn outrage. The child opened its mouth, breathed, and then kept its own counsel. 'Whine, you fiend,' said the crone, 'it's your first job.' The baby shirked its obligations."_ Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West pg. 19, paragraph 7

Elphaba had always been a quiet girl. She hadn't spoken, hadn't made hardly a sound, until she was almost two years of age. Even though she had green skin, she usually melted into the background, going unnoticed until someone called her to attention. By the time she turned eighteen, she knew her place in the world, and that place didn't include talking.

Her father had always tried to get her to talk. At first, he would use sweet-talking, bribes, and smiles. Then he had gotten angrier and impatient. He had spoken to her sternly, punished her by giving her chores, and put her in timeout. And when that didn't work, he had resorted to beatings. At first, he had been reluctant to hit her, but when she didn't cry after he slapped her across the face, he didn't hesitate to hurt her.

The wooden paddle had come after that. He had paddled her bottom so hard that she couldn't sit down for a week. And still she didn't speak. Next, he had taken a horsewhip and laid it out on her back so it was raw and bleeding. And still she didn't speak. Finally, he had taken wet cloths and pressed them against her skin, burning her until she screamed out in pain. At times, he had made her plunge her hand, and even her whole arm, into buckets of water.

Nanny had thoroughly disapproved of this treatment, but whenever it happened, she discreetly turned her head and pretended she didn't see it. And her mother… well, as long as she wasn't bothered, she didn't give a damn.

Though she didn't talk, she loved to read. Whenever she visited her great-grandfather, the Eminent Thropp, in Munchkinland at Colwen Grounds, she would always hide herself away in the great library there, devouring as many books and as much knowledge as she could before they left for their cottage in the countryside or their shack in Quadling Country. Sometimes she would borrow books, bringing them with her when she left and putting them back when she visited again.

And she loved to write. On her fifth birthday, the Eminent Thropp had given her a notepad and a pencil, and he had taught her how to write. Ever since then, no one had been able to get her to stop writing. When she ran out of paper, she would go outside with a stick and write in the dirt. She would take a knife and carve things on trees. Sometimes she would carve words into the crust of a pie with her fingernail before putting the filling in.

She had always been told that since she didn't speak very often, she would never amount to anything. So when she got an acceptance letter in the mail from Shiz University, she was stunned. Her younger sister, Nessarose, had convinced her father to let her go to Shiz, since she was given enough scholarship money to pay for tuition, room, and board.

All the way to Shiz, as she passed through Munchkinland on the Yellow Brick Road, crossed the Glikkus Canals, and traveled through Gillikin on the Great Gillikin Railway, she kept her silence. She knew everyone else was making fun of her, but she didn't really care. After all of her dreaming in the countryside of Munchkinland and the marshes of Quadling Country, she was finally going to amount to something. She would make her father proud of her.

Her great-grandfather had been overjoyed when he had found out she had been accepted into Shiz. He had bought her a whole new wardrobe, a new suitcase, a nice leather satchel, a journal, a good set of quill pens, and as many books as he could send to Shiz. When he had dropped her off at the carriage station to start her trip, he had handed her a thick wad of money, told her about the bank account in the Great Ozian Bank, and wished her good luck. He had said it was the proudest moment in his life.

Elphaba stared out the window of the train, watching the scenery rush past. She had traveled a lot in her childhood, finally settling down at Colwen Grounds when she was fourteen. But she had never been on a train before. There wasn't enough money in the treasury for trains in Munchkinland, and the land in Quadling Country was too wet and unreliable to set down tracks. She had read about them, of course, and she had been looking forward to riding a train for the first time.

No one sat in the train compartment with her. Her suitcase sat at her feet, her satchel lay next to her on the seat, and the foggy glass door of the compartment was closed to provide her with more privacy. Occasionally the conductor would stick his head in and ask if she needed anything, and she would shake her head and smile at him, glancing down at her worn out boots in embarrassment when she saw him analyzing her.

And finally she had arrived at Shiz. The conductor had helped her with her suitcase, setting it on the platform before running to the engine and talking with the stationmaster. She looked around, completely lost in the hustle and bustle of the University life. After awhile, she headed over to the doors that led to the street, and one of the carriage drivers quickly ran to her side and took her suitcase.

"Are you a University student, miss?" he asked.

She nodded.

"I've orders from Madame Morrible herself that I'm to take as many University students from the station to Shiz as soon as possible for free of charge. She'll pay me later," he said, leading her to a carriage and hoisting the suitcase up on the roof. He looked at her curiously, as if seeing her for the first time.

"Are you feeling quite alright?" he asked. "You look a bit green."

Nodding, she opened the door for herself and climbed into the carriage, snapping it shut when she had sat down. After a moment, the carriage jerked forward and into traffic. Elphaba stared out the window as the buildings passed by. People walked down the sidewalk in bright colors, chatting animatedly with each other and laughing at jokes she couldn't hear.

Storefronts boldly advertized their goods, begging customers to come inside for a quick glance. Cafés and restaurants displayed pictures of meals and opened their doors so the smells of the foods inside would waft out and entice people to come in.

And then there was Shiz University itself. The carriage rolled through the gates and brand new buildings and stores gave way to old brick buildings that were hundreds of years old. The lawns were carefully manicured, the grass kept at a certain length. Gardens of flowers were perfectly organized, displayed in geometric patterns and shapes. Students and professors walked from building to building, talking with each other.

"This is your stop," the carriage driver said, opening the door for her. She ignored the extended hand, seeing the look of disgust and revulsion on the man's face as he finally realized her skin was actually green, and descended by herself. He pulled her suitcase from off the top of the carriage and quickly climbed onto the driver's seat, snapping his whip and starting away.

Looking up at the grand building she had just been dumped at, Elphaba picked up her suitcase and climbed up the marble stairs and into the building. Her future was about to begin.

_**This idea just popped into my mind, and I've been having writer's block on all of my other stories, so I decided to post this really quick. Please review! I really appreciate all thoughts, comments, and suggestions! I don't know exactly where I'm going with this, so I would really appreciate suggestions! PM me or e-mail if you have any ideas! (hint, hint) ;) Thanks!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_


	2. Survive

_**Here's the next chapter. Enjoy**_

Madame Morrible, the Headmistress of Shiz University, was going on and on about academic responsibilities and personal responsibilities and familial responsibilities as Elphaba just sat in the shadows, watching the all of the other girls she had been thrown into Shiz with. Most of them were rich, wearing clothes and jewelry that clearly distinguished their place in the world. Elphaba would never fit in with them and honestly didn't want to. She was here to get her education, and that was it.

"And now for room assignments," Madame Morrible said, gaining the attention of every girl in the room. She began to rattle off names, putting two girls in each room and pausing between each assignment to give the two girls a key and a packet of papers that detailed their classes.

Girls filed out as they gained their new roommates, either staring at them with disgust clear on their faces or talking to them excitedly. Elphaba began to get more and more nervous as more and more girls started to leave with their room assignments. Had Madame Morrible forgotten to assign a room to her?

"Miss Pfannee and Miss ShenShen," Madame Morrible said. The two designated girls walked up to Madame Morrible, one tall with long brown hair done up elegantly and dressed in a light green dress with a silver necklace around her neck, the other shorter with short black hair and dressed in a dark blue dress with a string of pearls around her neck. They received their keys and packets of paper and left the room chatting with each other animatedly. It was only her and one other girl left, now.

"Miss Elphaba Thropp, Third Descending of Munchkinland, and Miss Galinda Upland of the Arduennas," Madame Morrible said finally. The other girl started forward slowly, looking around for her roommate. Elphaba watched her. She was dressed well, in a white dress with matching shoes and a silver necklace around her neck.

"You must me Miss Galinda," Madame Morrible said, handing her the packet of papers and a key. "Miss Elphaba, if you would please come over her and meet your new roommate, it would be much appreciated."

Elphaba stepped out of the shadows and Galinda gasped when her green skin came into the light. Madame Morrible handed her the papers and key. "I trust you two girls will become very best friends," she said, smiling at both of them before swishing out of the room.

_Say something to her, say something to her. Just don't stand there like an idiot, you look stupid_, Elphaba thought desperately. _Come on, she's already afraid of you as it is, you can't do anything worse. Just say something, anything. But nothing stupid._

"I'll be taking my leave if you please, Miss Elphaba," Galinda said coldly before turning abruptly on her heel and walking out of the room.

_Well there goes your chance._ Elphaba sighed and picked up her suitcase, throwing her satchel over her shoulder as she followed Galinda more slowly. She had a feeling that she wasn't going to get along very well with her new roommate.

ELPHABAELPHABAELPHABAELPHABAELPHABAELPHABAELPHABA

Elphaba stood in from of Room 22, the room she was going to be living in for the next four years, maybe even longer. Fitting her key into the lock, she opened the door, surprised to find Galinda there with a group of girls. She recognized Pfannee and ShenShen, and the third girl was Milla, a girl who was a little shorter than average with short brown hair, a pinched nose, and darting eyes. They all looked at the door when she came in and watched as she went over to her bed, setting her suitcase down on top of it.

"As I was saying," Pfannee said when it was made clear that Elphaba wasn't going to say anything. "My parents wanted to marry me off to some wealthy man who lives off in the country, which was nice, because he was rich, but he was old and ugly. They told me that I would either marry him or come here to Shiz, so of course I chose to come here. How about you, Miss Galinda?"

Elphaba stopped unpacking, listening as her roommate started to talk. "My parents would never make me marry someone I didn't want to," she started. "I'm the first girl to get into Shiz University from Pertha Hills, which is where I live, and everyone there is terribly proud of me. I just hope that I don't let them down."

"You could never let them down," ShenShen said, and Elphaba just rolled her eyes and continued unpacking. "All you have to do is find a nice, handsome, rich boy, marry him, and your parents will be pleased."

"Have you heard that there's a prince in our year coming her?" Milla squealed. "He's from the Vinkus and he's supposed to be _gorgeous_."

"He's probably very barbaric," Pfannee said dismissively.

"I heard that he's rich," Milla continued, ignoring Pfannee's comment. "Miss Galinda, if you could get him, you would make a perfect couple. I've already seen him. He has blue diamonds tattooed all over him, and they would match your eyes perfectly! He looks so… exotic."

_Too bad they don't think _you_ look exotic_, Elphaba thought to herself as she opened the top drawer of the dresser her grandfather had sent and started to put away her clothes. _Maybe you would be in their circle, then, gossiping about boys and home._ _Just say something to them, it couldn't be too bad._

She continued to put away her clothes and then proceeded to pull out the books she had packed away, setting them carefully on the single shelf that had been sent to her room by her grandfather. He had also sent her the mahogany desk that had been set up, the bed sheets that were wrapped in brown paper on the end of her bed, and the three boxes of books she had been unable to pack in her suitcase.

"Really, do you talk at all?"

Elphaba turned to see the four girls staring at her and then turned away, blushing a dark green. _Say something, you idiot! They're just asking you a question, there's nothing to be embarrassed about!_

"I think she's mute," Milla said almost sympathetically.

"She's also green," Pfannee said. "I don't want to be associated with her. Who knows, maybe it's some weird disease she acquired. I heard that she lived in Quadling Country for a time, in a little shack in the swamps. Maybe she caught it there."

"Why don't you ask her?" Glinda said.

"You ask her," Pfannee retorted. "She's your roommate."

"Fine, I will," Galinda said. "Miss Elphaba, if you haven't already heard, my friends were wondering how you became green."

She was silent and still for a moment, staring down at her hands, which were trembling. Turning, she saw all four girls looking at her expectantly. Galinda opened her mouth and turned to Pfannee when she spoke.

"I was born this way," she whispered.

The girls continued looking at her, as if they expected her to say more, but she just turned away, starting to unpack the boxes of books and setting them on her shelf, arranging them alphabetically by the last name of the author.

"She thinks she's too good for us!" Pfannee exclaimed.

"Maybe she has a right," Milla said. "I mean, she _is_ Thropp Third Descending. That means that she's the Heir-Apparent, entitled to become Eminent Thropp when her great-grandfather dies."

"Well, she's going to talk to me!" Pfannee said angrily. "Miss Elphaba, I don't appreciate you ignoring me. It's rude, and I would much rather that you spoke rather than just unpack your things there."

"That reminds me, I'm going to have to unpack my suitcases," Galinda said. "I will see all of you girls later."

"Are you kicking us out?" ShenShen asked incredulously.

"I would prefer that you didn't see me unpacking my undergarments," Galinda said, and Elphaba could hear the embarrassed shuffle of feet before the three girls said their farewells and left, shutting the door behind them. She turned around to see Galinda staring at her curiously.

"Do you want something?" Elphaba asked after a few minutes.

"Uh… no, I just… no… I'm going to unpack," Galinda said, turning towards a stack of trunks that had been piled at the foot of her bed.

Elphaba nodded to herself and turned back to her boxes of books, finishing unpacking them, and stacking the cardboard boxes outside the door to be picked up by the janitors. She unwrapped her bed sheets and put them out on her bed: white sheets, one scratchy navy blanket, and a navy comforter. It was better than she had had in Quadling Country, but as she glanced over at Galinda's bed, which was covered in pink frills, she realized it was nothing like any of the girls in Crage Hall had.

Pulling a book out of her satchel, Elphaba sat down on her bed, curling in on herself and opening the book to start reading. After a few moments, she went back into her satchel, pulling out a pair of glasses, and put them on before curling back up and reading her book again.

She was aware that Galinda was watching her, but she didn't really care. Classes didn't start for another three days, so she had nothing to do but read, unless she wanted to make amends with Galinda, which she certainly didn't. Galinda could go off with her little circle of friends and gossip about her, she didn't care.

"I don't really know if you care," Galinda said after twenty minutes, making Elphaba look up from her book, "but I'm going to go out with my friends now, and I probably won't be back for a few hours. If you would like, you could come with me."

It was clear that Galinda didn't want Elphaba to come with her at all, so she just went back to her book. Galinda stood there for a few more moments, a look of confusion on her face, before she grabbed a purse that matched her outfit and left. Elphaba looked up when she left, wishing that the blonde had insisted that she come with her.

_That isn't going to happen if you never talk to her, you know. Just say something to her when she comes back. Ask her where she went, if she saw any boys she liked, if she had a good time, what she talked about. Say anything! Don't make yourself a social recluse._

Elphaba shook her head, clearing her mind of the thoughts, and went back to her book. If she was going to survive at Shiz University, she would need to focus on academics and academics only. She didn't need 'friends' to distract her. The only thing they would do is gossip about her behind her back. She already had enough of that.

Yes, she would distance herself from Galinda, therefore distancing herself from all of the popular people she would spend time with. When the less popular people saw that the popular people didn't like her, she would be left alone and the only people she would have to talk to would be her professors.

That was how she was going to survive.

_**Well, I hope you liked it! Tell me what you think, please. I'm just writing as I go along, I have no real plans for this and I really would like to hear what you think about it so far. I would really appreciate it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, the first chapter:**_

_**populardarling**_

_**Caro88**_

_**-greenTARDISgal-**_

_**I would also like to thank all of my readers. I really appreciate all thoughts, comments, and suggestions, so please, please, please, PLEASE REVIEW. Thank you all again!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

4


	3. Misunderstanding

_**Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**_

Elphaba always got up before dawn so she could see the sunrise. She had developed the habit when she was very small, when her mother was still alive. One morning, she had woken up to the sound of footsteps in the hall and, opening the door, she saw Melena walking past barefoot. She had silently followed her mother out to the lake where the older woman had sat down on the grass facing the east.

Eventually, Elphaba had made a sound and Melena had beckoned her forward, pulling her into her lap and telling her about the sunrise. How the gods took their paintbrushes and paints and carefully painted the colors that announced the arrival of the sun. When Frexspar heard about this, he had forbidden Melena to tell Elphaba any more nonsense, and if she was just going to spout out heresy, she would be required to keep her mouth shut.

The green girl shook her head, pushing the memories to the back of her mind as she got ready for her classes. Her first class was Life Sciences with Professor Emeritus at eight o'clock, so she would have plenty of time to get breakfast and go to her class after she watched the sunrise.

Being careful not to wake her roommate, she hurried around her room, pulling on her clothes and putting her books in her satchel. Galinda stirred and she didn't move for a moment, making sure that her blonde roommate was still asleep before moving again. Pulling on her boots, she left the room, quietly clicking the door closed behind her.

Hardly anyone was awake this early in the morning. She caught a glimpse of a few boys sneaking out of some rooms, but decided to ignore them. If she didn't say anything, they wouldn't bother her. She was doing her best to stay unnoticeable, and so far, she was doing a fairly good job. The only places she had gone in the week she had been there were her classes, the library, the bookshop, the cafeteria, and her room.

Nodding politely to a professor she passed on the path, Elphaba made her way to the lake in the middle of the grounds. She remembered overhearing a conversation between some professors about the lake. When the university had first been founded, this had all been woodland and the builders had cut down most of the trees. The original plan had been to drain the lake and fill it in so an additional building could be put it, but the person in charge said that he had seen a woman in the lake. She had told him not to destroy the lake or great misfortune would fall on him and all of the men working under him.

She sat down on the grass, setting her satchel down beside her, and watched the still water of the lake. It was odd that something so beautiful and so essential for life would be so harmful to her. Whenever it touched her, it left a burn as if she had touched a flame. If she left water on her skin long enough, it would eat away the layers of her skin, leaving raw flesh beneath.

Blues, reds, oranges, yellows, and purples crept up into the sky, light pushing the darkness farther and farther away. Finally, the sun had risen into the sky and the colors disappeared, leaving Elphaba looking at a bright ball of flames. She stood up and grabbed her satchel, slinging it over her shoulder as she headed towards the cafeteria.

Grabbing an apple, she paid for it and walked towards her class. It was only about seven o'clock, but she liked getting to her classes ahead of time so she could get a seat in the front row. The professors never tried to start a conversation with her; they just smiled at her and started writing notes on the chalkboard.

Entering the classroom, Elphaba took the seat in the middle of the front row, getting out her notes from the last class and reviewing them for the quiz they were sure to have that day. The professor walked in and smiled at her. "I never told you that there was going to be a quiz, you know," he said when he saw her studying her notes.

"You will give us a quiz, though," Elphaba said.

He laughed. "I don't get how you always figure out when I give quizzes," he said, setting his notes down on his desk and starting to write out notes on the board. "It'll be at the end of class, though, and we'll be reviewing everything in the beginning of class, so you won't need to worry. Just don't tell anyone I told you that."

_Yeah, right,_ Elphaba thought to herself. _It's not like I talk to anyone, anyways. My own roommate barely talks to me. The only thing she says to me is when she's leaving, where she's going, and when she's going to be back. And she only does that because she feels obligated to._

Around quarter to eight, students started filing in and filling up the back of the room. Galinda entered with her posse, which consisted of Pfannee, ShenShen, and Milla, and, in this case, Fiyero, her new boyfriend, and Avaric. Boq trailed behind them, looking hopefully at Galinda when she scanned the room for a row of seats. The back row immediately stood up and she smiled at them, as her group took their seats.

True to his word, the professor went over what they had talked about the class before and then started into the new lesson. Elphaba took notes diligently, trying to ignore the laughter and whispers in the back of the room. Something hit her in the back of the head, but she ignored it, pretending like she didn't feel anything. It happened again, and this time she turned around and picked up the two pieces of paper that had been thrown at her. She set them next to her on the desk, not opening them up to read them like she was obviously supposed to.

By the time the end of class rolled around, there was a large pile of scraps of paper on the desk beside Elphaba. The professor raised his eyebrows at Elphaba when he saw the pile, but she just shook her head. He smiled and pulled a stack of papers off his desk.

"Okay, guys, it's time for your quiz on the material we studied last class!" he said, and the whole class groaned. He handed out the quizzes and told them that they had fifteen minutes to complete it. Elphaba went through every question, carefully writing the answer down. The professor collected them and dismissed them. Galinda's group of friends was the last ones to leave, besides Elphaba, who sat at her desk waiting for everyone to go before she stood up.

"Miss Elphaba?"

She looked up in surprise to see Galinda standing in the doorway uncertainly, her books clutched to her chest.

"I… I told them to stop," she said. "Throwing the papers, I mean. They… they really didn't mean any harm, I don't think. Just… just keep ignoring them."

"If you had told them to stop, they would have stopped," Elphaba said quietly. She picked up one of the pieces of paper and opened it to reveal a note written in large, loopy handwriting. "Is this your handwriting?"

Galinda opened her mouth to speak, but promptly shut it.

"That's what I thought," Elphaba whispered, throwing the notes in the garbage. "Good day, Miss Galinda."

She brushed passed the blonde girl, her skin brushing up against the other girl's, and something ran through her. Pausing for a moment, she looked back at Galinda, who was looking at her with a confused expression. Deciding she was imagining things, she strode away.

Galinda stared after her and picked the note out of the garbage, opening it up and smoothing out the wrinkles to read it.

_Miss Elphaba, please ignore everything my friends said to you the first day we got here, they did not express my views. –Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands, of the Arduenna Clan_

She let the note float to the floor and left the room with a single tear running down her cheek.

_**Well, there you go. Hope you liked it. Thank to populardarling and Caro88 for reviewing the last chapter. I really appreciate all thoughts, comments, and suggestions, so please REVIEW. I would like to hear what you have to say, even if you don't have much to say at all, or if you don't like the story. What you put in your reviews really affects how the story plays out. Thank you once again!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_


	4. What You Can Hear

_**Here's the next chapter. Sorry for the wait.**_

It was eleven o'clock on a Friday night and Elphaba sat up, staring at the door and waiting up for Galinda. The blonde had told her that she was going out with Pfannee and ShenShen and that she was going to be back by ten thirty. It wasn't unusual for her to be a few minutes late, but she had never been half an hour late before. After waiting another fifteen minutes, she decided against her better judgment to go look for her.

Looking outside, she noticed that it was raining and pulled on her waterproof boots along with her large cloak. Grabbing her key, she stuffed it in the pocket of her cloak and headed out the door, out the building, and into the rainy weather. Galinda had said that she was going to the OzDust Ballroom, so Elphaba would start out there. She had never been there before, but she knew the general area and had no doubt that once she got close, she would be able to recognize it.

After a ten-minute walk, which involved sneaking out of the grounds, crossing Main Street, and getting through a shady part of the city, she finally arrived at the OzDust Ballroom. It was a large, white building with what looked like Lurlinemas lights strung up all over it. Elphaba slipped in through a back door and searched out one of Galinda's friends who just happened to be Pfannee.

"Pfannee, I know that you don't want to talk to me, but could you tell me where Miss Galinda is?" Elphaba asked, pulling her to the edge of the dance floor. Pfannee stared at her with wide eyes.

"I thought she left with Jeremy," she said. "He said that he was going to take her to the bar next door really quick because he had to meet a friend there, but he was going to take her back to her room right afterwards."

"You're an idiot," Elphaba said, pushing Pfannee back onto the dance floor, already heading for the door. She muttered to herself under her breath as she headed to the bar next-door, bursting in to see that it was mostly empty except for the bartender and an old man who was sitting in the back.

"Where are they?" she thundered, and the bartender pointed a shaking finger to a door behind him. Elphaba jumped over the bar, pushing open the door to see a frightened Galinda standing against the far wall with a handsome boy standing in front of her. He whirled around when Elphaba came in and laughed.

"So this is the powerful friend you were talking about?" he asked, turning back to Galinda. "This is pitiful. The only person here to defend you is an ugly green girl. I've seen her around campus. Isn't she a mute?"

"If you value your life, you will leave," Elphaba growled.

"Oh, so she _does_ talk!" he exclaimed, laughing even harder. "So this is a miracle! What are you going to do to me? Try to kill me with your ugly face?"

Elphaba bristled, pulling back her hood. "You have one more chance. Get out or I will make you get out, and it won't be pleasant for you."

"Why don't you just leave yourself," he said. "This doesn't concern you."

"It concerns me if I say it does," Elphaba said, getting angrier with every second that passed. A crackling energy seemed to fill the room and Galinda cowered in a corner, covering her head with her hands. Suddenly the boy was laying on the floor, writhing in pain as Elphaba stood over him. "Will you listen to me now?" she demanded.

The bartender was standing in the doorway behind Elphaba, a look of incredulity on his face as he watched. Elphaba looked away from the boy and towards Galinda, who was still cowering in the corner. The boy got up and pushed past the bartender, swearing as he fled. Kneeling next to Galinda, Elphaba put a gentle hand on the blonde's shoulder, forcing her to look at her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Galinda didn't respond.

"Can you stand up?"

The blonde nodded and Elphaba took her hands, helping her up. Galinda collapsed into the green girl, who automatically wrapped her arms around her petite frame. "Hey, I'm going to get you back to the room, okay?"

"Okay," Galinda whispered back.

Elphaba threw her cloak over Galinda's shoulders, shielding both of them from the rain as they slowly made their way back to their room. A few drops of water hit Elphaba's skin, but she ignored it. They came to a small gate in the wall surrounding Shiz grounds, Elphaba whispered something, and it clicked open. She ushered Galinda through the gate, closing it and locking it behind her.

"Don't tell anyone what I just did," Elphaba whispered as she led Galinda back up to their room. As soon as they were both in, Elphaba closed the door behind them, locking it, pulling the bolt down and the chain across to ensure that no one would try to get in. She rushed to the windows, slamming them shut, locking them, and pulling the curtains across.

"You should get a shower before you get sick," Elphaba said. "I'm afraid that my cloak didn't shield you very well."

Galinda was silent for a moment. "You know you didn't have to do that, right?" she whispered.

"Why would I leave you there?" Elphaba asked.

"But you went looking for me," Galinda said. "I mean, Pfannee and ShenShen didn't even care, and they're my closest friends. Why would you want to do anything for me? We don't even talk to each other."

"Did that boy hurt you?" Elphaba asked, ignoring Galinda's questions.

"No," Galinda whispered. "But if you hadn't gotten there…"

Elphaba waited for her to continue, but she didn't. "You should at least change your clothes," Elphaba said.

"Thank you," Galinda whispered.

The green girl looked surprised. "You said you would be back by ten thirty," she said, as if that were a perfect explanation as to why she did what she did.

"And I'm sorry for the way I've been treating you," Galinda continued. "You're a much better friend than Pfannee, ShenShen, or Milla is, and I barely even know you. If they had even suspected what Jeremy was going to do to me… they probably would have run."

"Just… don't tell anyone what I did to Jeremy," Elphaba said. "It's going to be hard enough keeping that bartender quiet. I'm going to have to go back and bribe him to keep his mouth shut, and even that might not work."

"If you need money…" Galinda started.

"I think I'm good with money," Elphaba said with a small smile. "When your great-grandfather is the Governor of Munchkinland, you don't have shortages on money when you most need it. Especially when you're next in line to receive the governorship. Besides, I haven't used much of my spending money. I have plenty."

Galinda sat down on her bed, shivering slightly, and Elphaba started forward nervously, but held herself back. "Do you need anything?" she whispered hesitantly. "Are you sure that you aren't hurt in any way? I could go get your friends, the nurse, or Madame Morrible if you wanted. We could report that boy…"

"No, don't tell anyone," Galinda whispered, tears running down her face. "I… I don't think I could stand the embarrassment. My parents would be appalled by the way I acted and… no, I just can't."

Elphaba knelt in front of Galinda. "You have no reason to be ashamed," she whispered. "You did nothing wrong. Perhaps you drank a little too much at the party, and maybe you didn't exert as much caution as you should have, but you did nothing wrong. Everything that happened was that boy's fault, and no one else's. If you need help, don't be afraid to get it. I won't force you to tell anyone about this, but I think you should tell someone who can actually do something about it. It can be kept confidential."

"How do you know all this?" Galinda whispered.

"Several boys thought they could take advantage of me when I first arrived at Shiz," Elphaba whispered, looking away. "They thought that since I didn't speak much and that I was so obviously interested in my studies, it would be easy to do something I might not want to do. I defended myself and then reported them to Madame Morrible. They were promptly kicked out of Shiz University and have been registered as rapists."

"But you're so much more brave than I am," Galinda whispered.

"No," Elphaba whispered, shaking her head and taking Galinda's hand in her own. "You're here, aren't you? I could never be where you are, now. I'm not brave enough to try to climb the social ladder. People would spread rumors about me, and I can't do that. Not only would it be bad for my reputation in Munchkinland, but I don't think I myself could stand it. But you… you're at the top of the ladder. You've withstood everything, and this experience will only make you stronger."

"Why are you really doing this?" Galinda asked.

Elphaba hesitated. "Because I realize that I might have been wrong about you," she whispered. "You're more of a person than anyone else here at Shiz that I've met. More of a person than I am. You have real emotions, and you aren't afraid to express who you are, no matter what the cost. The… the teasing has almost stopped. And it's nonexistent when you're in the room."

"You didn't do anything to deserve it," Galinda said, grasping her hand tightly.

The green girl smiled hesitantly. "I'm the one who should be thanking you," she said. "You've done so much more for me than I've done for you. If there's ever anything I can do… I don't want to leave this debt unpaid."

"There is something," Galinda whispered. "I've noticed that you haven't made arrangements to go home over Winter Break and I… I'm going to be traveling alone. I was planning on asking one of my other friends to accompany me back home to Pertha Hills, but… I was wondering, maybe, if you… wanted… to go with me?"

There was a moment's pause where Elphaba just stared at Galinda in incredulity. "Are you sure you don't want to ask one of your other friends to go with you?" Elphaba asked. "I mean… I'm not exactly the most enjoyable traveling companion there is. And your parents wouldn't… it wouldn't be a very good first impression of your friends from Shiz University."

"I think it would," Galinda said. "My other friends… they aren't the sort of people my parents want me to be friends with. They don't care that they're influential and rich. You're the only person who has really shown that they care for me at all. And I… I want to spend more time with you, Miss Elphaba. You seem like a very interesting person."

"Once you get past the green skin, I suppose I could be," Elphaba said with a small smile. "I suppose I could rearrange my schedule so I could go with you. Not that there was much I was going to do over the break that I couldn't do in my free time now. Just some reading. And I won't be offended if you change your mind and decide you want someone else to go with you."

"No, I won't change my mind," Galinda said, and she shivered again.

"You really should take a warm bath," Elphaba said. "Here, I'll go get it started. Get something warm to change into after you're finished, okay?"

Elphaba went into the bathroom, turning on the warm water in the tub while making sure that none of the water touched her, and went back into the other room to see Galinda standing hesitantly outside the bathroom door. "Go on in," she said to the blonde. "Take as long as you need."

"Aren't you going to need some warm water?" Galinda asked.

"I… no, I'm, um, allergic to water," Elphaba said. "It burns me for some reason, probably has something to do with my skin color. I clean myself with some special oils that I make for myself. I'll be fine."

Galinda looked at her with wide eyes and stretched out her hand to touch several small burn marks on Elphaba's face. Elphaba flinched as Galinda's skin touched hers, but she didn't pull away. "This is from the rain, isn't it?" Galinda whispered. "When you were trying to keep me from getting wet?"

"Really, I'm fine," Elphaba breathed, closing her eyes as Galinda's hand brushed down her jaw line to touch another one of the spots.

"But you aren't," Galinda whispered back, pulling her hand away and making Elphaba open her eyes. "I can tell every time someone says something to make fun of you. Every time you flinch, tremble, or shiver, I can see that you aren't fine."

"There are things no one can heal," Elphaba whispered. "Only time."

"You'd be surprised what a friend can do for someone," Galinda said, taking a step forward. "Have you ever had anyone to confide in without fear of them reporting to someone else or telling another person as a bit of gossip?"

"There's no one who would listen," Elphaba whispered, shrugging her shoulders noncommittally. "No one who would care."

"That's why you don't speak much," Galinda whispered in realization.

"You should try it sometime," Elphaba said. "You'd be surprised about what you can hear when there's just silence."

_**Sorry for not updating for so long. I had a bad case of writer's block. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter:**_

_**GreenBabiesRule**_

_**-greenTARDISgal-**_

_**moodified**_

_**me**_

_**Rtarara**_

_**Thank you to everyone for sticking with this story. I'll try to update as soon as possible, so please REVIEW. Thanks again!**_

_**ReallyObsessiveWriter**_

5


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